Citation

Mair C, Diez Roux AV, Morenoff JD. Health Place 2010; 16(5): 811-819.

Affiliation

Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan, 3rd Floor SPH Tower, 109 S Observatory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, 4647 SPH Tower, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA; Prevention Research Center, 1995 University Avenue, Suite 450, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.04.006

PMID

20434941

PMCID

PMC2918682

Abstract

There is a growing interest in understanding the effects of specific neighborhood conditions on psychological wellbeing. We examined cross-sectional associations of neighborhood stressors (perceived violence and disorder, physical decay and disorder) and social support (residential stability, family structure, social cohesion, reciprocal exchange, social ties) with depressive symptoms in 3105 adults in Chicago. Subjects lived in 343 neighborhood clusters, areas of about two census tracts. Depressive symptoms were assessed with an 11-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Neighborhood variables were measured using rater assessments, surveys, and the US census. We used two-level gender-stratified models to estimate associations of neighborhood conditions with depressive symptoms after adjusting for individual-level covariates. Most social support variables were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms in women but not men, while stressors were moderately associated with higher levels in all subjects. Adjusting concurrently for stressors and social support did not change results. This suggests both neighborhood stressors and social support are associated with depressive symptoms.

Language: en